Tennessee State outlasts Golden Eagles in double-overtime
Dead even down to the final seconds. And then some. And then some more.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Dead even down to the final seconds. And
then some. And then some more.
For the fourth time this season Tennessee Tech was stretched to
overtime, this time two overtime periods at Tennessee State, but
with their four top post players fouled out the Golden Eagles ran
out of muscle and fell to the Tigers 109-102 in the Gentry
Center.
Tech had a desperation shot to win at the buzzer in regulation and
also the first overtime, but missed on both. The Golden Eagles
didn’t get the same chance in the second overtime as TSU
cashed in on 20 trips to the free throw line in overtime.
Tech slipped to one game under .500 with a 13-14 overall record,
including a 7-9 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Golden
Eagles are 1-3 in overtime games. TSU, which has won three
straight, improved to 7-20 overall and 4-11 in the league.
All across the stat sheet, the numbers were nearly identical
during regulation, from shooting percentages, to rebounds, to
assists, steals and turnovers.
It was a foul-marred contest throughout regulation, but few
whistles blew in the first overtime. Then, in the second the Golden
Eagles watched as TSU paraded to the charity stripe and one-by-one
Tech players took a seat. Five different TTU players exited early
with five fouls.
Elijah Muhammad led the Golden Eagles with a career-high 26 points
and eight assists, one of five Tech players to put double digits on
the scoreboard. Jud Dillard finished with 24, one shy of his
career-best mark, and grabbed 10 rebounds, Frank Davis had 17,
Alfred Jones scored 13 and Kevin Murphy added 10 points and six
boards.
Jeremiah Crutcher and Robert Covington scored 24 each for TSU as
the Tigers had six in double figures. Wil Peters hit 16, going
9-for-10 at the free throw line, Tashan Fredrick 13, Jacquan Nobles
12 and Martell Buie 11. Covington had 12 rebounds and Fredrick 10
as each managed a double-double.
Both teams missed a chance to win in regulation in the final
seconds. TSU came up with a loose ball on the defensive end with 19
seconds remaining and called timeout, but the Tigers lost the
handle with two seconds to go and gave the ball back to Tech.
At the other end, Frank Davis picked up a loose ball and fired up
an 11-footer that beat the buzzer but hit the side of the rim.
Tech also had a chance to win in the first overtime, getting the
ball with 12 seconds left and the score tied. An off-balance
3-pointer by Murphy missed the mark and Bailey’s rebound
attempt banged around and came off, forcing a second overtime.
The Golden Eagles remain on the road for the rest of the week,
playing Thursday night at Austin Peay and Saturday in a
non-conference Bracket Buster contest at Appalachian State.
